The Government has introduced new measures financial supports for Irish workers affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

The Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme, which will take affect from today (26^th March), will help maintain jobs and support workers’ incomes during this unprecedented crisis.

It will do this by ensuring that workers receive enhanced supports directly from their employer – underwritten by the public purse – in organisations that temporarily close or lose business because of the pandemic.

The new arrangement replaces the Employer Refund Scheme, which was originally introduced on 15^th March. It will be available to all employers who are adversely affected by the emergency, and who continue to keep staff on the payroll. 

Eligible employers will be supported by up to 70% of a worker’s take-home income, up to a maximum weekly tax-free payment of €410.

The scheme, which is due to run for a 12-week-period, will provide subsidies on incomes up to €76,000 and will be capped at net €350 for incomes between €38,000 and €76,000.

The Government has urged employers to operate the scheme and keep staff on their books. It’s also asked them to top-up the payment – to 100% of if possible – to help maintain incomes and economic activity.

Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) General Secretary Patricia King welcomed the Government move and acknowledged its swift response. She said the measures were “essential to protect the productive capacity of the economy and prevent a depression.” 

King also stressed the importance of the scheme to workers. "These wage subsidies will help put workers’ minds at ease and enable them and their families to meet the immediate challenge at hand – beating Covid-19," she said.

Last week, ICTU demanded ambitious Government measures to preserve workers’ jobs and incomes. It called for a temporary wage subsidiary scheme similar to the one unveiled yesterday. 

ICTU says it will work with Government and employers, at national and firm level, to support the jobs and incomes of all affected workers – and top ensure that employers who can pay the remaining 30% of workers’ pay.

The emergency measures were also welcomed by the business group IBEC, who have labelled the move as crucial in enabling the economy to bounce back from the Covid-19 emergency. 

For more information on the Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme click HERE.

Fórsa has sought official guidance to ensure maximum consistency on decisions about what public services are deemed essential during the current crisis.

In new guidance issued today (27th March), the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) says senior management in individual public service organisations should define what services are essential to continue, and what staff are needed to deliver them.

As well as impacting on service provision, these decisions could have implications for staff attendance at work, and for temporary reassignments of staff.

Fórsa first raised the issue after the Government announced that people should not to go to work if they could work from home or if their attendance at the workplace was not essential.

The union has also sought clarification on the position of staff who depend on public transport after An Taoiseach advised against any “unnecessary” travel.

In the meantime, the union continues to advise members to report for work as normal unless:

• You have been told not to attend work by your manager or HR department
• Remote working arrangements have been put in place, and you have been told to work at home by your manager or HR department
• You have a medical reason for not attending work
• You are self-isolating on medical or HSE advice.

Fórsa is advising its members to await guidance from their employers. Otherwise they may lose pay if they fail to report for work.

The union has also updated its advice to members as it applies to staff who are pregnant or who have a medical vulnerability.

Read more HERE. 

The aviation industry was among the first to feel the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis, and while Fórsa officials continue to talk to employers about optimum measures to protect jobs, details of different approaches by employers in the industry are emerging. Attention is now turning to how the State’s Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme may be applied to affected aviation workers.

The Irish Congress of trade Unions (ICTU) has completed an analysis of the scheme and is satisfied it has a solid legal foundation, following press commentary yesterday.

DAA

Unions met with management at the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) this morning (Friday). Fórsa official Johnny Fox explained: “The DAA had already committed to paying salaries of staff up to 12^th April, with staff taking a week’s annual leave before then. Today we got further clarity, and salaries will continue to be paid until 25^th April with staff taking an additional two days annual leave.”

Johnny said a further meeting will take place next week in order to discuss necessary arrangements beyond 25^th April. The company is to engage with the Revenue Commissioners in the meantime to assess how the State’s Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme might be used to assist DAA staff.

Shannon

Fórsa members at the Shannon Airport Authority are to be placed on a three-day week from Monday (30^th March). Fórsa, SIPTU and Connect met with management today (Friday) and a further meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday (31^st March). Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting Shannon Airport Authority is also to engage with the Revenue Commissioners about the Wage Subsidy Scheme.  Johnny said a further report will be issued to members following Tuesday’s meeting.

Aer Lingus

In a conference call with unions today (Friday) management at Aer Lingus confirmed that they had registered to participate in the Wage Subsidy Scheme and they were in the process of seeking clarity as how the scheme might be applied to further support the income of workers in Aer Lingus. Fórsa represents cabin crew, pilots, management grades, IT technicians, professional and admin grades at the airline.

In a notice to members issued today unions said: “The company have confirmed that, next week, people will be paid a minimum of 50% of their gross wages. A further conference call has been arranged for next Tuesday morning and it is hoped that at that stage that we will we be in a position to provide more detailed information including what, if any, action members should take to secure entitlements from social welfare.” The group of unions at Aer Lingus is comprised of representatives of SIPTU, Fórsa, Connect and Unite.

IAA

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is also continuing to pay salaries. Fórsa represents the IAA’s air traffic controllers, engineers and maritime radio officers who are currently in a 14-day quarantine in preparation to join “tiger teams”. These teams will go into lock down in the control towers for three-week periods, working, eating and sleeping on site on a 24/7 basis.

Unions representing staff at the IAA (Fórsa and the AHCPS) are continuing to talk to IAA management, while both parties are continually assessing the situation in the aviation industry both here in Ireland and across Europe.

Fórsa’s regional offices closed yesterday evening (Wednesday 25th March 2020), and there’s only a minimal presence in the union’s Dublin office.

But all staff have been equipped to work remotely and the union remains fully available to members who need assistance – especially on coronavirus-related issues and queries.

The best way to contact the union at this time is by clicking HERE.

The union also continues to post up-to-date advice and information on the Fórsa website, and is issuing ebulletins direct to members every day or two. Our basic coronavirus advice is regularly updated.

The move to shut down offices follows the Government’s announcement on Tuesday (24th March), and the union’s successful push over the last week to equip all its staff to work productively from home.

Our officials and staff will continue to deal with your queries as quickly as possible. The union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

Members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.

The Government has put revised social welfare payments in place for 12 weeks because of the coronavirus crisis.

These payments are only available to people who’ve lost their jobs as a result of Covid-19. They can’t be claimed by people working from home or by those whose employer is availing of the temporary wage subsidy announced yesterday.

Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment

The Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment has been increased from €203 to €350. It’s available to employees and self-employed who are out of work due to the coronavirus crisis.

Those who had already been receiving the payment don’t need to reapply. The increased amount will be automatically allocated.

Eligible people who have at least one adult and one child dependant, or those who have four or more child dependants, may be entitled to a higher rate of payment. They should apply for a jobseeker’s payment instead of the Covid-19 payment.

While current pressures mean it may take some time to process applications, those eligible will receive a minimum of €350 per week with any additional payments being backdated.

Covid-19 illness benefit 

The enhanced illness benefit has also been increased to €350 per week to encourage self-isolation and remove any discrepancy between those affected by the medical and economic impacts of the pandemic.

Fórsa is strongly urging people to apply online in order to reduce the chance of spreading the virus – and to speed up payments.

Existing social welfare payments

For those receiving social welfare assistence in the form of carers, working family, or one-parent family payments can also claim the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment while retaining their existing benefits, provided they lost their job as a result of the coronavirus.

The personal amounts for all core weekly social welfare payments remain unchanged. The only increased payments are the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment and the enhanced illness benefit. Both are temporary measures.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has published advice about working remotely for both workers and employers.

And the Health and Safety Authority has reminded employers of their legal duty to ensure the safety, health and welfare of their employees when they are working remotely.

The CIPD advice for employees includes tips for setting up designated workspaces, managing technology, and maintaining effective communication and relationships with colleagues through digital platforms.

It also has information on conducting effective online meetings and tips for those managing remote teams.

The Health and Safety Authority has published this FAQ resource.

Approximately 150 Fórsa members at the Road Safety Authority (RSA) are to be included in the Public Appointments Service’s (PAS) emergency redeployment list. The PAS list has been developed to temporarily reassign civil and public service staff to areas of greater need during the Covid-19 crisis, and union members in non-commercial state agencies are covered by the same arrangements for civil and public service staff.

The process aims to identify those staff that are currently ‘non-critical’ to service delivery. With driving tests currently suspended a number of grades, including driver testers, administrators and supervisors, are among those set for temporary reassignment. Discussions are near completion to find a way to carry out emergency driving tests for medical staff and HGV drivers.

In a memo this week to the union’s divisional executive committee, head of division Angela Kirk explained: “Where possible, working from home arrangements are being implemented in the state agencies. The Institute of Public Administration concluded an agreement with the union which is in place since 24th March. Some members from Fáilte Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland the National Library are being temporarily redeployed to Social Protection under the current measures, and we expect more staff from the cultural institutions will be reassigned over the coming days.”

Fórsa is keen to ensure that all our members contact details are up to date.

By maintaining your current contact details we can ensure that up-to-the-minute, important information can be delivered directly to each and every member of the union.

This is especially important during the current national Covid-19 crisis. In the past few days we’ve been able to issue a series of special bulletins to members, keeping them in touch with the latest advice and guidelines from the HSE and employers.

However, if any member isn’t receiving this information, it means we don’t have a current email address for them on our system. This could be because they’ve moved departments or changed grades or employment etc.

If this sounds like the experience of one of your colleagues, please share this information with them and let them know we’re encouraging members to update their contact details with us in order to improve our communications service to members.

The union is also experiencing a high volume of members getting in touch with the communications unit directly to change their contact details as a result of new eircom policy taking effect later this month. Those members wishing to change the email address Fórsa contacts them on should also follow the directions outlined below.

It's also worth noting your home email address helps to ensure direct, safe and more effective communications with you than a workplace email address.

To update contact details, visit our website HERE and follow the directions to quickly update them.

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has issued comprehensive guidance on protecting personal data while working remotely.

The guidance covers devices, emails, cloud and network access, and paper records. In summary, the DPC says:

• Take care that devices, including USBs, aren’t lost and report any loses to your data protection officer
• Ensure devices have the necessary updates, particularly software and antivirus
• Keep all devices and paper records secure in a safe location
• Lock your device and tidy away paper records if you leave it unattended
• Log out of devices, email accounts, etc and turn devices off when they’re not in use.
• Use strong passwords and encryption where necessary
• Take immediate steps to ensure a remote memory wipe if you lose a device
• Follow your employer’s policies
• Send emails to the correct person and protect attachments that contain sensitive personal data
• Use work email accounts
• Watch out for phishing emails or WhatsApp messages
• Stick with your organisation’s networks and cloud services, and comply with your employer’s rules and procedures on cloud or network access, login and, data sharing
• Ensure any locally-stored data is adequately backed up securely
• Keep a written record of what records and files you’ve taken home.

Any data processing done in the context of preventing the spread of Covid-19 should be carried out in a manner that ensures data security, particularly where health data is concerned. The identity of affected individuals should not be disclosed to any third parties, including their colleagues, without a clear justification.

Contact your employer’s date protection officer if you have questions or concerns.

Two students at Carnegie Mellon university in the USA have developed an interactive tool that shows the impact of Covid-19 around the world.

Using Worldometers real-time data, it provides the most up-to-date information on number of cases, deaths and recoveries in each country – as well as the global sum. Just click on the map to get updates.